The Implementation of the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act 2008-2010

The Implementation of the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act 2008-2010

Resource Library | Author Stephen Giddings | Date April 2011

One of the fundamental goals of the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-121) (hereinafter referred to as the WFPA) was to make access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation for the poor a specific policy objective of U.S. foreign assistance. The Act also sought to enable the U.S. government (USG), acting through the Department of State (DOS) and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), to play a leadership role in achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of halving the number of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015. Recognizing that the role of safe drinking water and decent sanitation is critical to promoting sustainable urban growth and development and to improving the lives of the urban poor, the International Housing Coalition (IHC) conducted an analysis of the USG’s progress in meeting the important goals of the legislation.